The Sit-in
by stopdroprollandwrite
Summary: A certain someone attends one of Professor Layton's lectures. Naturally, he can't sit still for long. (Spoilers ahoy for Miracle Mask!)


It was no secret the Professor Hershel Layton had become a favourite among students. For this reason it wasn't unusual to find the occasional outside participant sitting-in the back of the lecture hall, eager to witness the archaeological legend at work. And they were welcome to do so – as long as they didn't cause a ruckus or purposely aim to disrupt the class.

Interestingly, such visitors tended to come from all walks of life – not just students, but other teachers, outside specialists, even museum curators found something to take from his puzzle-solving experiences. Layton thought that by now, that part of the classroom must have seen every type of scholar archaeology had to offer.

He was wrong.

_"Professor!"_ sang a cheerful voice from the very back of the hall. "I have a question!"

His back facing the students and paused midway in drawing a line of the board, Professor Layton sighed. Not out of exasperation, really, but because even now he could predict just what this particular _visitor _intended to do for the remaining half hour of his lecture.

Layton tilted his head to the side and spoke over his shoulder. "May I remind you, Mr. Ascot, that your invitation into this class only extends to –"

"Oh, _don't worry_, Hershel, my question is very much related to your subject," Randall replied sweetly. He was resting his chin in his palms, thoroughly enjoying the sight of a hundred young adults swivelling in their chairs to stare at him in shock and confusion. "I was just wondering when we were going to start taking up a certain Azran relic you've encountered in your past adventures. The… Mask of Chaos, perhaps?"

Layton put down his chalk, patting his hands to shake off the dust as he turned around with the faintest look of amusement in his dot-eyed features. "I'm afraid we're not tackling that in the curriculum this year. And anyway, Mr. Ascot, haven't you had enough of that subject already?"

"Not at all, Hershel!" Randall cried. He appeared on the verge of jumping onto his desk. In fact, his hand was already sticking into the ridiculously big knapsack leaning against the wall by his side.

"You know, I think you _should _tackle the Mask of Chaos. It truly is a _fascinating _artefact, ladies and gents, something that I happened to have done an _extensive _amount of research on. Have any of you been to Mont'de Dor? It's a _gorgeous _city, out in the desert, you know. My very dear friend Henry built it practically ground up! You _must _consider visiting sometime, perhaps for a vacation or two. Anyway, where was I? The Mask of Chaos. Well, long ago the Azran civilization believed…"

It didn't take a puzzle solving genius to know what Randall was up to. Ever the performer, Layton's childhood friend was intending to steal the show, seeing the unsuspecting students of his class to be a most attractive audience. Most likely he was going to whisk out some documents or images of hieroglyphics taken from Henry's studies, aiming to wow them speechless with the world-changing discoveries he made as a boy.

Maybe he shouldn't have mentioned to Randall in a telephone conversation earlier that week that he was expecting to have a slow day in an upcoming afternoon class.

Layton cleared his throat just as Randall took a deep breath in the middle of his heart-stopping opening speech.

"Very well, Mr. Ascot," Layton said warmly, much to the surprise of everyone else. "I must admit that there's definitely something to be gained from your input. However…" He slipped something out from the drawer of his desk and stepped out into the open. "… I must insist you test your skills on this puzzle first. To… demonstrate the range of your abilities to the other students."

He tossed it and it flew right across the classroom. Randall easily caught the puzzle and laughed, his eyes twinkling behind his new glasses. "That's the spirit, Hershel!"

He settled back into his seat, excitement practically radiating off his person and dulling his seatmates in the process. "Just give me a moment – I'll have this solved in a jiff!"

Layton tipped the brim of his hat. "Would it be alright if I continued the discussion while you…?"

"Yeah, yeah, go ahead," Randall responded absently, eyes glued to the instruction sheet. He reached into his bag once again, this time to fetch a memopad to brainstorm solutions.

"Very well." With a triumphant smile, Layton returned to his desk. But instead of picking up his chalk to immediately resume his lecture, he opened the drawer once again. From it, he took out a small piece of a puzzle – the same puzzle Randall was working on at the exact same moment.

Layton caught the eye of a student at the front row and beckoned her over. Hesitantly, she closed the notebook on which she had been doodling ideas on what sort of pet animals could fit inside the Professor's hat, and obediently approached.

In a hushed tone, he told her, "Would you be ever so kind to fetch something for me from the library five minutes before class ends?"

"Of course, Professor," the student replied shyly. "For what? A book or something?"

"Anything would do," Layton replied. "Truthfully, I just need you to drop _this_…" – he handed her the puzzle piece – "…as covertly as you can on the isle directly beside Mr. Ascot as you exit."

The student's eyes widened at this, then gave way to a small smile. "Professor Layton, don't tell me you're actually being _sneaky _about something."

Layton chuckled. "Somewhat. As a true gentleman and Randall's friend, I thoroughly intend to fulfil my promise of giving him time to talk about the Mask of Chaos. However, I would prefer he only started once we finish discussing our actual lesson. There isn't much left that needs to be said anyway – you could easily just reference the documents photocopied last week to –"

"Excuse me! Professor! _Professor Hershel!_"

Once again Randall was on his feet, proudly brandishing the puzzle over his head like a marathon trophy. "As it turned out, you were missing a piece! But not to worry, Hershel. Thanks to my impressive ingenuity, I managed to construct a replacement out of these pages and this good man's pencil case – oh, don't give me that look, chap, I'm not going to forget giving it back. I've had enough forgetting for a lifetime, thank you very much."

The front of the classroom listened to his monologue in short, dumb silence. Eventually, the Professor simply shook his head as his former accomplice casually hid the puzzle piece beneath some papers on his desk. "It seems I've underestimated him. His skills in puzzle-solving haven't diminished the slightest, even after all these years."

Layton made one last comment to his student before motioning her back to her seat. "Pages fifteen to twenty three, with special attention to the footnotes at page nineteen. Kindly spread the word to your classmates when this is all over."

The latter, at this point, couldn't respond, returning to her desk shaking in laughter. Randall had already begun his procession down to the platform in front of the classroom, his chin in the air and his teeth in a grin.

The two friends crossed paths at the foot of the platform stairs. With an amused smile, Layton stepped to his right and cleared the way for the other man. Randall paused in sudden unease, realizing that something needed to be said here.

"Hershel, about this –"

"Thinking back on it, Mr. Ascot," Layton interjected musingly. "When we were younger, I must admit I believed you'd be the Mr. Collins of our generation. You always loved to share your wealth of information with others, whether we liked it or not. I suppose this is the perfect time for you to humour my past impressions."

When this was said, the tension was gone and Randall smiled. "I'll try not to let you down then… _Professor Layton_. Thank you."

And with one last, affirming look from one of his oldest, dearest friends, Randall lifted his foot and took the stage once again.


End file.
